A fire at a recycling plant that created a plume of smoke visible from space is likely to burn for a week, a senior fire officer has said.

About 15,000 tonnes of old tyres went up in flames at the plant in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, on Thursday.

Public health officials do not believe there is a great risk to the public because the smoke is spreading over a wide area, although people in local villages can expect the unpleasant smell to continue.

Peter Hudson, a group manager with North Yorkshire fire and rescue service, said crews would remain on site but the plan was to allow the tyres to burn out.

This was so that toxins created by the fire were not washed into local waterways but would be spread over a much wider area, perhaps out to the North Sea.

He said: "We have been talking to the Environment Agency and we would rather it burned away to virtually nothing. If we did put it out, we would have much more sludge and mess to put somewhere afterwards."

The cause of the fire has not yet been established. Hudson said a full investigation would begin next week when firefighters get access to the seat of the blaze.

The smoke plume is drifting in a north-easterly direction. Councils in Ryedale and Scarborough reported there were no issues in their areas. All local schools have remained open.

Superintendent Richard Anderson, of North Yorkshire police, said: "I would like to reassure residents that the fire and rescue service has the fire contained and under control.

"While the vast plume of smoke looks dramatic, the risk to the public's health remains low at this time and I urge people to continue to follow the advice of Public Health England to ensure that they don't suffer any ill-effects from the smoke."